Zero-emissions trucks are entering active duty in leading transport fleets at an accelerating rate around the world, spurred largely by collaborative OEM and customer e-truck trials. The Fuso eCanter, Mitsubishi’s light-commercial electric workhorse is currently being put to the test at City Logistics in South Africa while demonstrating its value in an automated electric vehicle battery-swapping enterprise in Kyoto, Japan.
The need for battery-electric trucks (BEVs) to prove their feasibility empirically in everyday business operations is crucial for their adoption by fleet operators. City Logistics, a leading South African transport operation, has joined forces with Daimler Truck Southern Africa (the regional principal for Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation) to conduct eCanter short-haul fleet trials in Gauteng.
According to Ryan Gaines, CEO of City Logistics: “The four-ton eCanter was put into duty from City Logistics’ Gosforth Park depot in Germiston, Johannesburg. The truck was tested along an 80km round-trip to a customer in Midrand each day. We wanted to test the claimed range as well as the speed to recharge.”
Proving the eCanter’s viability in South Africa
The eCanter’s claimed range of 100km allowed for a 20km reserve on the battery for the planned route test, which carried a full load on both legs of the journey, says Gaines.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the vehicle’s ability to carry load without draining the battery. Battery percentage usage on the round-trip journey ranged from 60 to 70%. The truck also charged from 20% back to 100% in just over an hour back at the depot, using a 50kWh charger. This provided us with assurances of a decent turnaround time.”
Maretha Gerber, president and group CEO of Daimler Truck Southern Africa, states:
“The launch of the eCanter in South Africa is a massive feat for us. While we know that reaching our ultimate goal of offering 100% CO2-neutral products by 2050 will require various zero-emission technologies, this trial represents a vital step for us in building a sustainable future for transportation.
“These trials aim to establish the performance and infrastructure requirements for battery-electric trucks in South Africa. Once the trials have concluded, the eCanter will be sold to local transport operators on an operating lease basis.”
The current eCanter trials at City Logistics are not the logistics company’s first foray into the field of e-mobility. Last year, the company tested the previous generation eCanter. According to Gaines, while electric car sales are slow, the demand for electric vehicles for logistics is increasing.
“This is driven by the desire for sustainable forms of delivery, an offer that appeals to environmentally conscious South Africans who are motivated by companies that focus on sustainability,” says Gaines.
“Local logistics businesses like City Logistics are actively seeking to source the most efficient light, medium, heavy and extra-heavy vehicles. Once the most proficient and cost-effective electric truck has been identified and a reliable charging solution has been established, we will implement the vehicle on a local or urban route. We are also looking into testing hybrid or gas vehicles over longer, outlying routes,” Gaines concludes.
Automated battery swapping stations shortens downtime
While the eCanter is new to South Africans, it has been conducting duties on roads overseas since 2017. In August 2024, the eCanter began trials as a ‘collect & deliver’ truck for Kyoto City fleet, Yamato Transport Co, powered by swappable batteries fitted by robots at Ample electric vehicle battery swapping stations in the city.
The three companies (Mitsubishi Fuso, Yamato Transport Co and Ample, a US-based e-vehicle battery solutions company) directly involved in the battery-swapping trials on the eCanter are collaborating to accumulate operational experience necessary to popularise fully automated battery-swapping stations as a new energy infrastructure for battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), states Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC).
When the eCanter enters an Ample fully automated battery-swapping station, robots automatically exchange the truck’s batteries within the target time of five minutes. This technique was demonstrated to the public at the Japan Mobility Show in 2023 and now MFTBC is taking the next step in bringing the innovative uptime-extending technology to public roads.
“From observing these operations, MFTBC and the other participating companies will identify the benefits and challenges of battery swapping and investigate the scalability of the technology with future practical use in Japan in mind,” states MFTBC.
“For MFTBC, this joint demonstration is an important step towards MFTBC’s ambition to drive EV (electric vehicle) truck expansion. Since launching the eCanter in 2017 as the first series-produced all-electric vehicle in the light-delivery truck segment, MFTBC has taken the lead in decarbonising transportation.”
In addition to offering the existing eCanter, which to date has accumulated over 12 million kilometers of trip distance in customer fleets worldwide, MFTBC aims to market a battery-swapping version of the truck.
“This will enable MFTBC to offer even more customers the chance to transition to carbon-neutral logistics by providing a range of options comparable to that available for conventional diesel light-duty trucks.”
According to its spec sheet, the latest eCanter model has selectable driving ranges with three battery sizes and 28 models (in Japan) that can accommodate a variety of bodywork and applications, in addition to the e-truck benefits of zero emissions, low vibration, comfort and quietness.
“Having battery-swapping EV trucks directly addresses worries about driving ranges, while also extending applications and significantly shortening the downtime of electric trucks. In addition, by introducing the latest swappable batteries as technology evolves, users can always have access to the most up-to-date battery technology.
“Furthermore, this battery-swapping verification trial will also study a complete business model for battery-swapping e-trucks with the leasing product for eCanter ‘FUSO Green Lease’, provided by Daimler Truck Financial Service Asia.”
The FUSO Green Lease provides a comprehensive financial solution that includes maintenance, insurance, a unified contract between parties, operational expertise with truck registration and a monthly invoicing mechanism.
Ample’s fully automated battery swapping stations are capable of swapping batteries not only for EV trucks, but also for passenger cars. The fully automated swapping stations are a viable solution to reduce downtime for the customer and promote the use of zero-emission vehicles, which is critical to building a decarbonised society.
“As the need for action to realise carbon neutrality grows stronger, MFTBC remains fully committed to providing customers with diverse options to reduce CO2 emissions.”
FleetWatch is always excited to see truck OEMs and their customers pioneering new frontiers together, especially in Southern Africa, and the eCanter is firmly at the forefront of the ‘green trucking’ crusade internationally. Electric trucks clearly represent a confident step in the direction of a future where trucking is no longer regarded as a ‘dirty business’ in terms of air pollution and climate change. Keep those pedals to the clean metal folks and keep on trucking!
